358 The Arctic (1/2)

”Maybe we are the first three who have set foot in the Arctic!”

”Maybe not. But probably the first three who have set foot in the Arctic in recorded history!”

”So, we three made history again?”

Frank, Alva, and Wilbert stood on the sky fortress. The white alchemy sky fortress floated in the air, protected by the shield around it. The trio stood on the deck and leaned on the railing, chatting in high spirits.

After the Magic Crystal War, the last words of the Pope of the Church of the Dark Night had been an unpleasant warning to them. They knew that the last step to becoming true gods would not be easy.

They remembered the words of the mystery man that had appeared in front of them. The words of the unpredictable, mythical man had turned out to be true after all.

”The Arctic! A divine artifact left by the creator and hidden at the end of the world. It is for the God of Civilization!”

His words had stirred the trio greatly back then. And even after all these years, the tame, mystic tone of the mystery man was still engraved in their memories.

”Divine artifacts, what kind of objects are they?”

”Like the legendary Sword of the King, the Mask of Faross, the alchemy doll Archimonde, Death Sickle, or the Book of Truth?”

”It's a divine artifact left by the creator. It's got to be different!”

”But who is the creator?”

Full of doubts and questions, the trio went on their journey to the Arctic to find the last piece and the key to becoming true gods.

The gigantic sky fortress swam freely in the ocean of clouds like a huge whale. Its streamlined body cut through the clouds, covered in bright sunlight.

The sky fortress journeyed north. The clouds were getting thinner. Cracked glaciers floated on the sea's surface, sometimes as giant icebergs. Further north, the entire ocean turned into a gigantic ice mirror. This was the legendary Sea of Death.

Here, lurking in the shadows, were giant monsters. It was said that the children of the ancient God of the Sea, Sakun, lived here. After many centuries, those creatures who had Sakun's blood running through their veins had turned into horrific giant sea monsters. The children of god hid in the deep sea. This was their territory.

Icebergs, sea monsters, children of the God of the Sea, and even fearsome legendary magical beasts existed here. It was almost impossible for anyone to pass the Sea of Death and make it to the Arctic.

As for the bleak Arctic, nothing was there apart from danger, cold, and ice. No one wished to be there except for lunatic adventurers. And, most of them were now in the stomachs of magical beasts beneath the sea.

It was impossible to reach the Arctic by ship. Even the sturdiest alchemy ship could not withstand the unexpected accidents and damages that happened there. Later, adventurers had attempted to travel through the air to the Arctic. However, the closer they got to the Arctic, the closer to the bitwall they came. Elemental storms and space wrinkles occurred at an abnormal rate here. Without shields and protection, a single element wave could destroy them.

Most adventurers lost their lives before they ever set foot on land in the Arctic. Of course, maybe some did land on the Arctic and never returned, which was even more regrettable.

The giant whale in its luminous bubble continued to travel north. At last, they saw the northernmost land in the world.

It was the winter season in the Arctic and most of the days were dark. When the three half-gods set foot in the Arctic, rolling mountains with snowcapped peaks appeared right before their eyes. In the distance, endless darkness prevailed. Blizzards roared in the darkness. Normal creatures could never survive in such an extreme environment.